The Cause of Racial Discrimination Social Structural Factors

CHAPTER II REVIEW OF RELATED TO LITERATURE To help the readers in understanding this thesis, the writer would like to explore some literatures that relates with this research. The related literature explored in this chapter includes the review about the social problem, discrimination, segregation, the impacts of segregation and discrimination. 2.1.SocialProblems and The Quality of Life by Lauer Social Problems and the Quality of Life focuses on the ways in which social problems affect the quality of life. It begins by defining social problems and discussing the tools needed to understand and respond to problems. It then moves on to an examination of specific problems in terms of: the nature and extent of the problem; how the problem affects peoples quality of life; the structural and social psychological factors that cause and tend to perpetuate the problem; and what can be done to resolve the problem. Along with the discussion, a number of learning aids makes this text personal, practical, and an interactive learning experience.

2.1.1 The Cause of Racial Discrimination

The cause of racial discrimination is the attendance of racism of the belief that some racial group are inherently inferior to others. Lauer in SocialProblems The Quality of Life 2004: 222 said that this cause was supported by some factors, they are social structural factors and social psychological factors. An important social structural factor that contributes to the problem of racial discrimination is institutional racism. Minorities are kept clustered in the lower levels of the Universitas Sumatera Utara stratification system and are exploited by the normal policies and practices of institutions, education, economy and government. Social psychological factors of attitudes, values, and ideologies of both the white majority and the minorities compound the structural discrimination. While the social structural factors lead to devaluation of minorities, the social psychological factors can lead to self defeating behavior on the part of minorities.

2.1.2 Social Structural Factors

The black as the minority occupies a low position in the stratification system. As minorities, they have some characteristics which the lower class has. Even they achieve higher socioeconomic levels still face various disadvantages and assaults on their dignity. The disadvantages are not always due to biased individuals. The term institutional racism was coined to refer to the fact that established policies and practices of social institutional tend to perpetuate racial discrimination. It means weather or not the people involved are prejudiced or deliberate in their discriminatory behavior, the normal practice and policies themselves guarantee that minorities will be short-changed. The portrayal of minorities in the media has tended to perpetuate various negative stereotypes. The black as minorities still do not receive equitable treatment in the media like television and radio. In education, four primary and secondary education practice that perpetuate discrimination are segregated schools, so called IQ testing, ability grouping of children, and differential treatment of children based on racial identity. In economy, institutional racism has pervaded the economy in the three ways, they are exploitation of minority labor, exclusion of minorities from full participation in the economy and exploitation of minority consumers. And the government who are supposed to protect and help its citizens equally do notalways give its advantages to the blacks as much as the white are given. Universitas Sumatera Utara Thus, the social structure has tended to create and perpetuate superior and inferior partners of interaction because of the clustering of minorities in low status, low power roles in institutions. The minorities have lacked the power to exercise control over the institutions and have failed to receive the full benefits to participation in that institutions. The policies and practices of economic institutions, like government, tend to maximize and perpetuate the well being of those who are dominant.

2.1.3 Social Psychological Factors